President Ramotar reiterates correctness of CJ ruling
– insists ‘the Speaker is wrong!’

PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar reiterated, yesterday, that the Constitution is the overarching legal framework within which all three branches of Government operates.
He maintained that Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang is correct in his interpretation of the Budget cuts in the National Assembly.
The CJ had ruled that Parliament has no right to cut the National Budget when he handed down his decision in the High Court last January 29.

In the preliminary ruling of June 2012, the judge held that the Assembly has a role to either approve or disapprove of the National Estimates but not to reduce them.
The Head of State’s comments on the issue followed a statement by Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, defending the right of the House to amend the 2014 Estimates, which are, currently, being reviewed in detail by the Parliamentary Committee of Supply.

“The Speaker is wrong,” Mr. Ramotar insisted.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trotman outlined several guidelines on procedures to be adopted by the National Assembly in proposing amendments to Budget 2014, in light of what the CJ had ruled, which he acknowledged must be respected.

NOT IMPINGED
The Speaker said: “Every effort will be made, always, to respect the High Court’s opinions, provided that the independence of the National Assembly is not impinged.”
“It is critical to note that, when the Committee of Supply considers the Estimates and approves of them, whether after making amendments, that is, through the process of proposing reductions of line items in accordance with Standing Order 76 or by the process of non-approvals of line items or not, this function neither equates to, nor constitutes the approval function required by the Constitution in Article 218,” he said.
The Speaker insisted that the functions of the Committee of Supply and the National Assembly, as against those of the Minister of Finance, representing the Executive, are not mutually exclusive, though it must be conceded that, at times, the lines of distinction become blurred.
Mr. Trotman also suggested the establishment of a sub-committee within the Parliamentary Committee of Supply. However, after an hour-long meeting with Government and Opposition representatives, on Wednesday night, there was still no naming of such a committee.
Additionally, a Notice of Appeal against the judge’s decision was since filed in February by attorney-at-law and Leader of Alliance for Change (AFC), Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, on behalf of Speaker Trotman, who was named as the appellant in the Court.
The Attorney General is a respondent in the appeal against Justice Chang’s controversial 2012 Budget cut decision.

(By Vanessa Narine)